Caulking clean-up tool

ABSTRACT

A caulking tool for applying caulk material at a seam located at the right angle intersection of two walls. The tool is provided with a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration made of two integrally connected flanges of resilient semi-soft material disposed at a larger than 90* angle from one another so that forced insertion between said two walls will produce a seal-tight connection between walls and flanges for removal of excess caulking material and for pressing of the caulking material in the seam. The intersection of the flanges is slightly flattened at the apex so that an approximate 45* evenly-pressed and smoothed bead of caulking material remains when the tool is moved between the walls over the approximately disposed caulking material at the seam.

United States Patent 1 Krause July 10,1973

1 1 CAULKING CLEAN-UP TOOL [21] Appl. No.: 242,480

[52] US. Cl l5/235.7, 7/l4.l A, 425/458 [51] Int. Cl E041 21/32 [58] Field of Search 15/2357, 235.8,

15/2353, 245, 210 R, 105.5, 236; 7/l4.1 A; 401/13; 425/12, 87, 458, 183; 81/81; 30/169 Primary ExaminerLeon G. Machlin Attorney-Nicolaas DeVogel [57] ABSTRACT A caulking tool for applying caulk material at a seam located at the right angle intersection of two walls. The tool is provided with a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration made of two integrally connected flanges of resilient semi-soft material disposed at a larger than 90 angle from one another so that forced insertion between said two walls will produce a seal-tight connection between walls and flanges for removal of excess caulking material and for pressing of the caulking material in the seam. The intersection of the flanges is slightly flattened at the apex so that an approximate 45 evenly-pressed and smoothed bead of caulking material remains when the tool is moved between the walls over the approximately disposed caulking material at the seam.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CAULKING CLEAN-UP TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention A caulking tool for filling seams with caulking material and, more particularly, a caulking tool for applying a smooth bead of caulking material at seams or crevices between perpendicularly disposed walls such as bath tub and bathroom walls.

2, Description of the Prior Art The present invention relates to a caulking tool made of a resilient semi-soft material which will automatically provide for the required pressure to the caulk without marring adjacent surfaces. The prior art of caulking around bath tubs and other similar type of areas where a liquid seal is required uses a caulking compound material that dries up rapidly and is cumbersome to be removed when applied or spread at nonrequired areas.

The art of caulking takes a substantial period of time and the various existing tools presently existing on the market, or the processes or methods of applying described on the caulking containers, do not provide for a rapid and neat result.

Of course, various caulking tools have been patented; however, most of these relate to the caulking of ship seams and plumbing components, such as the tool by CAMPBELL, US. Pat. No. 1,264,610, or by YEA- GER, US. Pat. No. 1,714,337. Yeager discloses a caulking tool that is specifically designed for joints in corners or the out-of-the-wa'y places; however, the tool cannot be used efficientlyat right-angled walls having longitudinal crevices at the intersecting corner.

The present tool is capable of applying a bead of caulk in a smooth, evenly-spread shape or radius by one fast motion and with a predetermined required stopping pressure of the caulk material in the corner or seam to be caulked while simultaneously removing all excess caulk material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a caulking clean-up tool. Caulking is understood to be the art of stopping or filling caulk in crevices, holes or seams with caulking material at a required pressure, and also it is generally understood that the art of caulking includes the forming of an even or smooth exterior surface to the caulk material.

However, none of the conventional caulking tools delivers the three functions of pressure, smoothness and excess clean-up.

The tool is made of a rectangularly-shaped semi-soft material such as hard rubber, high-density polyethylene, plastic or nylon. Those types of material are preferred since they are semi-soft and thus have a nonmarring quality while the resiliency as well as the nonadherence of caulk to the tool is required. The forward portion has a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration that is slightly pointed with a flat apex for fo rming'a caulking bead. The V-shape is over 90 so that the two sides of the V or flanges can be forced for tight contact with the walls and, furthermore, the V- shape interior part provides for a spoon or scoop type use for picking up the excess caulking material scraped off during operation of the caulking tool.

The flattened surface at the forward apex causes the shape of the smooth bead of caulking material and thus a slight convex radius to the flattened surface would provide a concave smooth caulking bead at the seam. In addition, the flatten surface at the forward apex approaches the caulk at an attacking angle during use so that part of the caulk is forced under the surface to form a pressed-in bead and the remaining caulk is scooped onto the tool.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide for a caulking tool which produces a tight and neat caulking joint in one movement and with complete removal of excess caulking material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for a caulking clean-up tool that is capable of producing a perfect joint in an easy and expeditious manner with very little effort or experience needed on the part of the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the caulking tool shown at the angle of operation.

FIG. 2 is a head-on view of the forward portion of the caulking tool.

FIG. 3 shows the tool in use by the operator.

FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional cut taken from FIG. 3 along line 44.

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a caulking tool 10 at a perspective angle of approximately 45 which is also the approximate operation position.

As shown, the tool 10 is longitudinally and rectangularly shaped and has an aft portion 12 for holding and activating the tool 10 during use. The forward portion 14 is the active portion that takes care of the caulking and comprises a V-shaped configuration 16 formed by two integrally connected flanges l8 and 20. The flanges l8 and 20 are provided with flat exterior surfaces 22 and 24 forming the bases of the V configuration 16. The exterior surfaces 22 and 24 intersect one another at an angle 26 larger than Thus, when the tool is positioned between two perpendicularly arranged walls, such as bath tub/bath wall, which is approximately 90, the larger angle of the flanges l8 and 20 will permit an absolute contact of the tool 10 against the tube and wall by a slight inserted pressure. Therefore, it is a requirement that the tool 10 is made from a semi-soft resilient material and thus accepts a continuous varying angularity by complementing with an equivalent angle to the associated tub surface and wall.

The interior side 30 of the V configuration 16 is concave or close to V-shaped so that a spoon or scoop type of construction is obtained. The concave surface 30 is disposed substantially parallel to the exterior surfaces 22 and 24.

Each flange l8 and 20 terminates in a slanted direction so that both flanges together form a point 32 on the forward portion 14.

The apex 34 of the point 32 is shaved off in a predetermined required angle forming a caulking radius surface 38 at the intersection angle 26 so that when the forward portion 14 is inserted between two perpendicular associated surfaces as shown in FIG. 3, the surface 38 permits the associated caulking material 40 to slide underneath the tool in order to be compressed and smoothed to a neat caulk bead surface 44 as shown in FIG. 4.

In order to move and scrape thoroughly the excess caulk material 40 from the walls the slanted edges 48 and 50 forming point 32 are bevelled with an edge 52 and 54 that rides or slides smoothly in complete absolute contact along the associated walls 60 and 62. For example, in FIGS. 3 and 4, these walls represent a bath tub 60 and bathroom wall 62, respectively.

During operation, the caulk material 40 is applied at the seam 70 and thereafter the tool 10 is moved by hand 72 over the seam while contacting the walls 60 and 62 by sliding over edges 52 and 54 in the direction of the arrow 74.

As shown, the bead of material is pressed into seam 70 and smoothed to a required level or angle 44 in one move while simultaneously scooping the excess material into the spoon type of construction 30 formed by V 16.

In order to keep the flanges l8 and at a constant self-retaining biased or resilient force at each point along the bevelled edges 52 and 54, the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes increased thickness from the surface 38 towards the upper surfaces 78 of the tool 10.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only one preferred embodiment of the invention, and it should also be understood that the embodiment is intended to cover all changes and modifications of this example chosen as described and illustrated for the purpose of disclosure, as long as these changes and modifications do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

'Now, therefore, I claim:

1. A caulking clean-up tool for caulking a bead at the intersection of substantially perpendicularly intersecting walls, comprising:

a. an elongated member of resilient semi-soft material having an aft and a forward portion;

b. said aft portion serving as a holding means and said forward portion serving as a caulking pressure applying, trimming, cleaning-up and storing means;

c. said forward portion having a cross-sectionally V- shaped configuration formed by two flanges having flat exterior base surfaces disposed to one another at an angle larger than 90;

d. said V-shaped configuration interior side formed as a concave surface disposed substantially parallel to said exterior base surfaces;

e. each said flanges terminating forward ofsaid forward portion in a slanted direction so that both flanges together approach to a point, its apex coincident at said intersection of said exterior surfaces;

f.said slanted termination of each said flanges provided with a bevelled flat sliding surface for sliding contact upon each said associated walls, and

. said apex provided with a flattened portion so that contact at said intersection of said perpendicularly intersecting walls is prevented, thereby allowing associated applied caulking material to be pressed and evenly smoothed when said caulking tool is moved forward with its point directed at approximately 45 angle from each said walls and from said walls intersection.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said flanges slanted terminations increase in material thickness from said flattened area so that an equal resiliency occurs at each point on said bevelled sliding surfaces during operation when pressure is applied at said aft portion.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said flattened area forms a substantially triangularly shaped area, its surface positioned perpendicularly to said walls intersection during operational use and said triangular area having two sides forming each an obtuse angle with each said exterior base surfaces, respectively.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said interior side of said V-shaped configuration concave surface forms a scoop-spoon type structure for receiving excess scraped off associated caulking material during operation of said tool.

5. A tool as claimed in claim 4 wherein said V-shaped configuration of said two flanges at said forward portion and said aft portion are integrally made of a semisoft resilient material for complementing with said associated perpendicular intersection during operational use and wherein said material is of a non-adherent quality to associated caulking materials.

6. A tool as claimed in claim 5 and having a flattened portion for pressing and smoothing said associated caulking material and wherein said flattened portion is provided with a slight radius for providing a contour to said caulking head.

7. A tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein said resilient semi-soft material is of a high-density polyethylene. 

1. A caulking clean-up tool for caulking a bead at the intersection of substantially perpendicularly intersecting walls, comprising: a. an elongated member of resilient semi-soft material having an aft and a forward portion; b. said aft portion serving as a holding means and said forward portion serving as a caulking pressure applying, trimming, cleaning-up and storing means; c. said forward portion having a cross-sectionally V-shaped configuration formed by two flanges having flat exterior base surfaces disposed to one another at an angle larger than 90*; d. said V-shaped configuration interior side formed as a concave surface disposed substantially parallel to said exterior base surfaces; e. each said flanges terminating forward of said forward portion in a slanted direction so that both flanges together approach to a point, its apex coincident at said intersection of said exterior surfaces; f. said slanted termination of each said flanges provided with a bevelled flat sliding surface for sliding contact upon each said associated walls, and g. said apex provided with a flattened portion so that contact at said intersection of said perpendicularly intersecting walls is prevented, thereby allowing associated applied caulking material to be pressed and evenly smoothed when said caulking tool is moved forward with its point directed at approximately 45* angle from each said walls and from said walls'' intersection.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said flanges slanted terminations increase in material thickness from said flattened area so that an equal resiliency occurs at each point on said bevelled sliding surfaces during operation when pressure is applied at said aft portion.
 3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said flattened area forms a substantially triangularly shaped area, its surface positioned perpendicularly to said walls'' intersection during operational use and said triangular area having two sides forming each an obtuse angle with each said exterior base surfaces, respectively.
 4. A tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said interior side of said V-shaped configuration concave surface forms a scoop-spoon type structure for receiving excess scraped off associated caulking material during operation of said tool.
 5. A tool as claimed in claim 4 wherein said V-shaped configuration of said two flanges at said forward portion and said aft portion are integrally made of a semi-soft resilient material for complementing with said associated perpendicular intersection during operational use and wherein said material is of a non-adherent quality to associated caulking materials.
 6. A tool as claimed in claim 5 and having a flattened portion for pressing and smoothing said associated caulking material and wherein said flattened portion is provided with a slight radius for providing a contour to said caulking bead.
 7. A tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein said resilient semi-soft material is of a high-density polyethylene. 